9. Former Detroit mayor jailed

By Rebecca Winters KeeganMonday, Nov. 03, 2008

Bill Pugliano / Getty

In 2002, Kwame Kilpatrick became Detroit's youngest mayor at the age of 31. This year the former middle school teacher became Detroit's first mayor charged with a felony while in office. Kilpatrick's downfall began in 2007, when he and former aide Christine Beatty testified in a whistle-blower trial that they did not have an affair. In January The Detroit Free Press published excerpts from text messages sent to and from Beatty's city-provided pager, including one Kilpatrick sent to Beatty in 2002 that read, "I'm madly in love with you." In September, Kilpatrick, 38, pleaded guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice and agreed to serve four months in jail. But in announcing his resignation, Kilpatrick was resolute, saying, "I want to tell you, Detroit, that you done set me up for a comeback."